YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT Chapter One --
A rare sunny morning dawned on Seattle, flooding through the windows of Derek's trailer. He looked over his notes at the table, chewing on a crunchy piece of toast.
He heard Meredith turning off the shower.
"Mer!" He called, looking up.
"Yeah?" She poked her head out of the shower, a towel wrapped turban-style around her head.
"Can you hurry, please? I can't be late this morning."
Meredith sighed.
"I'm hurrying." She left the shower, and quickly got dressed.
She noticed, with a small sting of injury, that he didn't even look over at her as she got dressed. He had been acting so strangely lately.
"Derek?"
"Yes."
"Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine, I'm just really not looking forward to taking these."
"With her."
"This has nothing to do with Addison."
Meredith looked skeptical.
"So you're not scared of looking bad in front of her?"
"No. We've barely spoken since we met with the lawyers to finalize the divorce. I don't know or care what she thinks of my career."
"She's not even with Mark anymore."
Derek finally did look up.
"Who told you that?"
"Izzie. Apparently, they're getting all buddy-buddy.
And Addison told her she broke it off with Mark."
Derek shrugged.
"Good. He's an asshole."
"It won't be that bad. The only time you have to see
her is on the flight to New York." Meredith said,
pulling on a green t-shirt and jeans.
"That's a very long flight."
Meredith smiled, putting her damp hair in a ponytail.
"Ready."
"Of course I am."
"No, I mean I'm ready to go."
"Oh. Okay." Derek grabbed his jacket and car keys off the table.
--
Addison woke up to her blaring alarm clock with a hangover headache.
She sat up in bed, sighing heavily as she turned off the alarm and pushed her long hair out of her face.
Suddenly, she heard someone stirring beside her.
"Morning." A sleepy male voice said.
Addison froze, thinking maybe if she didn't move, he'd go away.
Alex sat up in bed next to her.
"What's wrong?" He asked her.
Addison didn't say anything for a long moment, picking up her robe and slipping it on.
"I'm taking a shower." She said shortly.
"Then I am too." Alex said, grinning.
"NO." She held up a hand, tying her robe tightly, "No.
Alex…Dr. Karev, please just go. There's no need to
discuss this."
"Discussing wasn't really what I had in mind." He said, pulling her back towards the bed.
He went to kiss her, and she was horrified to find herself wanting him to. She looked down at the last second.
Addison took a deep, steadying breath.
"Dr. Karev. I will see you at work. Where we will not be talking about…anything but work. Are we clear?"
"Crystal." Alex shrugged, smiling slyly.
"I mean it."
"Okay."
"I'm going to take a shower."
"You said that already."
He turned away from her, putting on his boxer shorts.
"I'm not trying to be cruel…it's just I'm your superior, it was…this was a mistake."
"One hell of a mistake." Alex pointed out. "And so
what if you're my superior? Every attending at the
hospital, including your ex, has an intern booty call.
Now you have me. Big deal."
"Oh, no." Addison suddenly stopped.
"What?"
"Derek."
"I really don't think he could get mad at you about this." Alex laughed.
"No, this has nothing to do with you- we leave for our board reviews today."
"So?"
"So I can't exactly show up looking hungover and guilty." Addison began furiously rummaging through her closet.
"Please. You always look good."
She snorted with laughter, picking out a light blue sweater and grey pinstripe pants and laying them out.
"Please be gone when I'm out of the shower." She said over her shoulder, closing the bathroom door behind her.
Alex just laughed, pulling on the shirt and jeans he had worn last night and hoping no one would notice that he had to do the walk of shame to the hospital.
--
"Aren't those the clothes you wore yesterday?" Izzie asked, twisting her long blonde hair into a bun.
"Uhh…no." Alex lied very badly.
"Yeah, they are. Remember- I told you I liked that shirt."
"I don't think so."
Izzie's eyes narrowed.
"You hooked up with someone."
"No, I didn't."
"You totally did."
"Izz, what does it matter if I did?"
"So I'm right!"
"About what?" Meredith walked up, looking a little disheveled with her damp hair and no make-up.
"Alex hooked up with someone last night." Izzie informed her.
"Who?" Cristina asked, joining them.
"NO ONE!" Alex said, actually wanting to see George for one time in his life.
A little testosterone would be helpful right about now. Granted, it was O'Malley, so it would be very little testosterone, but still.
"Weren't you at Joe's last night?" Cristina asked,
reminding him of an interrogator.
"Y-Yes, I'm always at Joe's."
"Was it some random girl or someone from the hospital?" Meredith asked, pulling on her scrub top.
"Just some random girl." Alex mumbled, leading them out of the locker room.
Izzie looked at him carefully.
"He's lying."
"About what?" George fell into step with them.
"Alex hooked up with someone from the hospital and he won't tell us who." Meredith informed him.
George raised his eyebrows, about to ask more questions.
Bailey heard them talking, and rolled her eyes as she made her way over to her interns.
"Is this a slumber party or a hospital, people? Quit
running your mouths and listen up. Stevens, Grey,
Yang- you're with Burke on a consult. O'Malley- you're
covering the pits this fine morning. And Karev-"
"Is with me." Addison walked by quickly, motioning for him to follow her.
"Morning, Dr. Montgomery." He said, grinning as he walked beside her.
She gave him a warning look.
"Don't."
"Don't what?"
"Don't…think what you're thinking."
"I don't know WHAT you mean." He said innocently.
"Just…at least pretend to take your job seriously."
"Sorry. It's a little hard to focus when I keep picturing you nak-."
She grabbed his arm, yanking him into an empty hallway.
"Stop. Talking." Addison ordered him.
"This sounds familiar." Alex smirked.
"I'm beyond serious. You and me- never happened. Just forget about it. I significantly outrank you. The Chief is one of my close friends. If I wanted you gone from this hospital, it wouldn't be that hard."
"You came on to me!" Alex argued.
"Oh, right." Addison rolled her eyes.
"Besides, you'd never get me fired."
"You don't think so?"
"No. You'd miss me."
"You're so full of it."
"You ever hooked up with some one inside a hospital"
Alex said, nodding his head towards the on-call room.
"Alex…"
"Have you?"
She sighed.
"With Dr. Shepherd?" Alex wrinkled his nose.
"This conversation's over. From this moment on,
anything concerning you and me together in any way,
shape, or form is not a topic of discussion between
us. Agreed?"
"Whatever you say, babe." Alex put his hands in his pockets, laughing.
"Don't ever call me that again."
They walked together back around the corner, and ran right into Derek.
"Derek!" Addison said, flustered.
"Addison." He said, looking between her and Alex with a very strange expression of bewilderment on his face.
"Dr. Shepherd." Alex nodded, walking away quickly.
Derek caught Addison's elbow as she practically ran off.
"Just letting you know- the Chief has our plane tickets. We should meet at his office around noon to leave for the airport."
"Fine." Addison said, her cheeks flushed.
"What's up with you?" Derek looked at her curiously.
"N-Nothing."
"Liar."
"I'm completely fine. I will see you at noon."
Derek raised his eyebrows.
"Ohhkay."
"What? I'm fine." She walked off, her high heels clacking on the floor.
"Whatever you say…babe." Derek said, unable to suppress a grin.
She froze.
"What did you just say?"
"Nothing. See you at noon." Derek smiled innocently,
walking away.
--